Banza Banjo solo

En 65 minutes, 6 instruments, 5 personnages et 15 chansons, "Banza Banjo solo" fait swinguer 150 ans de styles musicaux, transporte, touche et donne les clés de l’histoire du banjo.

Ce luth d’Afrique de l’Ouest emmené aux Etats-Unis par des esclaves a connu un destin extraordinaire.

Instrument de la première rencontre culturelle entre musiciens africains et européens, il a “ouvert la voie” pour les musiques afro-américaines : blues, ragtime, jazz, rhythm & blues, rock & roll et jusqu’au hip hop ; et accompagné la plupart des musiques populaires américaines depuis 1850.

65 minutes, 15 songs, 6 instruments, 5 characters.

Spend a lively hour as BANZA BANJO solo swings through 150 years of musical styles telling the extraordinary story of the banjo. 

The instrument, originally a simple gourd lute brought to America by slaves, sparked the first cultural encounter between African and European musicians.

It opened the way for Afro-American musical styles : blues, ragtime, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock n' roll, hip hop … and has accompanied American popular music since 1850.

Les premières représentations de "BANZA BANJO solo" ont été jouées au Bénin, lors d'une tournée de quatre semaines à Cotonou et Parakou, et d'une semaine à Lomé (Togo).

Les photos ci-dessus ont été prises pendant cette tournée et lors de festivals en France.

BANZA BANJO solo debuted in Benin in February 2013.

It is a lively musical show full of humor, which traces the history of the banjo from its African roots  to the present day, for children over 7 and adults.

The BANZA BANJO project also features:

o An exhibition recounting the history of the banjo

o Musical workshops for children and teenagers about the blending of influences at the roots of Afro-American musical styles.

o A hands-on workshop for children ages 10 and older and adults where African gourd lutes are made and played.

Pierre-Claude ARTUS

Musician, actor, certified teacher of traditional music(s). Artus has spent many years playing traditional Irish music on the tenor banjo with the finest Irish musicians in Ireland and in France.

His interest in the banjo and its history coupled with a chance encounter with a musician playing a three-stringed gourd lute in Cameroun, spurred him to dig deeper, and find out more about it’s rich history and the transformation of the gourd instrument to what we all now know as the banjo.

From this extensive research and travel emerged the BANZA BANJO project.

Artus resides in Nantes, which was formerly a major slave-trading port in the West of France.

Un peu de son

NB: Les fichiers audio ci-dessous sont des enregistrements de travail, enregistrés en répétition sans aucune retouche, reverb ou autres.

Merci par avance de votre indulgence.